37 children injured in a knife attack at elementary school in China

An attacker with a knife injured 37 children and two adults at an elementary school in southern China on Thursday, according to a local government statement.

The attack, which took place in Cangwu county in the southern Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region, saw all 39 victims hospitalized, though none were in a serious condition. The 37 children, were “slightly injured” according to a statement released by the Cangwu county, while the two adults had more severe wounds.

The police have detained a single suspect, according to the statement. Chinese state-run tabloid Global Times claimed the attacker was a security guard at the school. No additional information has been provided about the attacker.

The children who attend this elementary school are between 6 and 12 years of age.

Knife attacks in China, especially at schools, are not uncommon, with a number of similar attacks taking place in recent years.

In October 2018, a woman wielding a kitchen knife slashed at least 14 children at a kindergarten in the central city of Chongqing.

Nine students were killed at a middle school in Shaanxi province in April 2018 by a 28-year-old man who was later sentenced to death.

In 2017, 11 students were injured after a man climbed over the wall of a kindergarten with a knife and began attacking them.